


the Wonder Years

by molliehenson



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Brothers, Heartbreak, M/M, Multi, Teenager stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:11:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8775364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molliehenson/pseuds/molliehenson
Summary: Sanha is watching his big brother, Myungjun, grow up. And he wonders about him a lot.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I just always thought of the relationship between Sanha and MJ to be brotherly.

Growing up is difficult. And Sanha is finding this out the hard way.

He sees things. Too many things in Myungjun's opinion. He wants Sanha to stay young and innocent forever. And trying to keep someone young and innocent doesn't always go to plan.

Because his brother still comes to him with the most thought provoking questions.

 

 

Sanha was two when he asked Myungjun to stay with him forever. "Brother stay with me?"

Myungjun was eight at the time, and he very much understood what his brother was trying to form as a question.

"Brother stay," he told him, and picked him up when Sanha held out him arms. Sanha had this thing about closeness since he was practically born. He just couldn't stay away from Myungjun.

When he was six, they bunked together.

Mom finally let the boys have their own room when they moved into the new house. But of course, Sanha didn't have to beg Myungjun to share a room with him because Myungjun just melted when Sanha looked at him.

New house, new school. They threw out all their father's old things after he passed, and their mom thought it was best they start fresh.

Myungjun wasn't really on board with the idea but his mom told him it would help him and his brother a lot.

It certainly took them a while getting used to. But Myungjun warmed up quickly when he made friends. He even brought one over to the new house.

Sanha was a little scared because the friend was big like his brother and he had big teeth. He was very different from Myungjun. He was slightly taller. Sanha hid in his room so that that other boy wouldn't talk to him.

 

 

"Brother?"

It was late, and the room was dark. Even on school nights, the two boys always lied awake for hours.

"Yes?"

"Who's that boy you always have over?"

Myungjun leaned over the side of the bed to look down at Sanha.

"That's Jinwoo. I thought I told you about him."

"You told me." Then, they were silent for a few moments. "Why do you always laugh and play with him?"

"Because that's what best friends do."

Sanha nodded and lied back down.

He hadn't found a best friend himself until he started school. And school was exciting. Mom sent him off in his little overalls and matching hat with a backpack strapped onto his scrawny back.

He loved to learn. He told plenty of stories of the lessons he learned that day. Or how he swinged on the swing at recess.

After a few years, the stories got funnier. But he still had his random questions.

His thoughts would build up sometimes.

Sanha would see something new on his brother or he'd find his body language to be different. And even his new friends were calling him MJ. That was certainly new. But Sanha started to get used to them.

 

 

"What's that?"

They were sitting in the middle of their floor together, finishing that huge puzzle they got for Christmas. It was supposed to be a waterfall.

"It's a pimple."

Myungjun knew exactly to where his brother was pointing. He was fourteen. And every fourteen year old has acne. He was just unfortunate enough to have a huge red lump on his right cheek.

"What's a pimple?"

"It's a gross bump that you get when going through puberty." Myungjun said, placing a piece in the puzzle.

"Will I get one?"

"You might,"

Sanha nodded and went back to the puzzle. He still didn't quite understand. And it made him often think about his brother.

 

 

Myungjun was quieter, it seemed. And his hair was greasy and long. And his shorts were getting too tight. He even overheard him talking to mom one night about how he was being laughed at by other people at school.

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Sanha?"

He never sounded annoyed when Sanha called for him. Even though Myungjun knew it was going to result in some hard question he probably couldn't answer.

"Why do people make fun of others?"

Myungjun was quiet for awhile before answering. They still had that old bunk they've had for years at this point.

"Because they think it makes them cool."

"Do you do it?"

"Of course I don't. My friends think I'm cool for just being me," He smiled down at Sanha and Sanha smiled back.

 

 

 

When Sanha was nine, Myungjun turned fifteen and he thought he could take up the spare room in the house.

He made his own room across the hall, thinking that would earn him privacy since he was older now. But Sanha still had a way of sneaking into his bed at night for them to sleep together.

He had this other boy over a lot as well. His name was Minhyuk. When he met Sanha, they became brothers themselves.

Sanha started to fall in love with this friend in particular. Every time Minhyuk came over, he always brought something for Sanha. Then, he'd ruffle his hair and tell him to go play outside.

"MJ, your brother is so cute. Mind if I buy him?"

Myungjun laughed and shook his head. "He's not for sale."

And with Minhyuk, came Moonbin. Those two were very touchy with each other. Sanha could see that a lot.

 

 

When Myungjun was sixteen, Sanha had watched his brother go through at least ten phases. This one was a weird headband phase.

Every morning before school, or on Saturdays when he went out with friends, Sanha watched Myungjun place a headband on his head. He was taller now, and his face didn't have those pimples anymore.

But he put on makeup.

"Brother?"

Sanha sat in the doorway of the bathroom watching Myungjun put this white creamy stuff on his face.

"Yes?"

"Why do you put that stuff on?"

"It covers my dark circles,"

Sanha thought for a second. "When will I get dark circles?"

Myungjun chuckled and turned to him. "Hopefully never."

But that still wasn't enough because Sanha got into his brothers makeup and concealers when he left, and put them on. It was thick and pasty on his skin but it made him just like his brother.

Sanha wasn't home very often on the weekends like he normally was. Myungjun had a car now, and he always liked to take Sanha out.

Sometimes Jinwoo would come, or Minhyuk and Moonbin, or his new friend Dongmin.

And sometimes all at once. Sanha would be squished between two of his tall friends. And they would talk loudly of things Sanha didn't understand.

Minhyuk always ask Myungjun to bring over Sanha to his house. And Sanha loved his house because Minhyuk had a lot of toys.

Myungjun would sit at the table sometimes, and Sanha couldn't find Minhyuk sometimes, so he'd search around the house, and one time he opened the bedroom door to find Minhyuk and Moonbin kissing.

His eyes went wide, and his face became very red, and Minhyuk shooed him out of the room to go be with Myungjun.

 

 

"Brother?"

"Yeah,"

Sanha was curled up to Myungjun on the sofa one night.

"Do best friends kiss each other?"

"Sometimes,"

"I saw Minhyuk-hyung and Moonbinnie kissing,"

"Oh, you did?"

Myungjun always told his friends to keep it on the down low if his younger brother was around.

"Do you kiss your best friends?"

Myungjun laughed. "No,"

"Why not?"

"Minhyuk and Moonbin are in love. I haven't found someone I'm in love with."

Sanha nodded and fell asleep.

 

 

When Myungjun turned eighteen, Sanha was to understand that his brother was leaving soon.

It was his last year in school, and Sanha heard this thing he talked about with mom called college.

"What's college?"

Sanha was with Jinwoo at the store to get a few things to eat. Jinwoo and his brother were the same height but Jinwoo dyed his hair, and Sanha thought that was so cool.

"It's like school for bigger kids or adults."

"Are you going there?"

He nodded. "I'm going there alright. MJ and I are going together."

Sanha waited to find out himself.

Myungjun packed up some of his things in boxes, and told his mother goodbye. Sanha cried when his brother left because he didn't know how long he was going to be gone. "I'll call you every day," he told him.

He was gone for long periods of time. Too long. And Sanha had to go to school without seeing his brother. But his stuff was still there, so at night, after his phone call, he'd go into his brothers room and sleep. It still smelled like him, too.

"Brother?"

"Yeah?"

"Was school hard for you?"

"It had its ups and downs."

"It's really hard for me. Especially gym class. I can't run as fast as the other kids," Sanha paused. "They laugh at me for it."

"That's cause they don't know anyone as cool as you,"

 

 

When Sanha was twelve, he grew at least two pant sizes. And at fourteen, he was at an all-time high as well as height goes. His legs were thin and boney, but his hair was shaggy, and he dyed it for the first time, orange.

Myungjun came to visit for the holidays. And apparently Jinwoo was coming along. They were looking thin, and the two had dark circles around their eyes. To Sanha, they looked very tired.

"You're taller than me," Jinwoo looked up at MJ's brother, wide-eyed. "How are you taller than me?"

Myungjun leaned in. "Maybe it's because Sanha actually ate his vegetables as a kid,"

Then the two would take Sanha back to the dorms to check out the place. Sanha was amazed, it was like a boys' dream. Mini-basket ball hoop, video games of every kind! There was even candy bars of every kind in the cabinets. But there was nothing in the fridge. It was completely empty.

"Little man!" Minhyuk would ruffle Sanha's hair again. Sanha laughed. He was glad to see Minhyuk once again.

After a few times of coming over, Sanha was getting used to the little messy place. Myungjun told him that they didn't have much time to clean, since they were always at their jobs or attending classes.

One afternoon, Sanha caught Moonbin kissing Dongmin in the dorms. The younger was very confused. Moonbin asked Sanha not to tell Minhyuk. And Sanha let those words eat him up.

Sanha came to Minhyuk with shaky hands, and his voice stuttered.

"What's up?"

"I don't know how to put this," Sanha spoke.

"You can tell me anything," Minhyuk smiled.

"I saw Moonbin-hyung kissing Dongmin-hyung,"

Minhyuk's smile disappeared and Sanha's heart shattered. "I know," he said, looking down at his hands. "He's been cheating on me for awhile,"

 

 

"Myungjun?"

It was just like old times. Sanha and his brother in the same room, lying down for sleep in their old bunks.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever... cheated?"

Myungjun laughed. "Yeah, once on a test. I was caught by the teacher, too. Worst mistake I've made,"

"Have you ever cheated on a girlfriend?"

"No,"

Sanha exhaled. "I think Moonbin's cheating on Minhyuk-hyung," then he wailed silently as tears came out, and he turned onto his side.

Myungjun blinked and stared out the night through the window.

 

 

When Sanha was sixteen, it was no surprise when Myungjun showed up to beat the bullies that had been giving Sanha a hard time. Sanha was called names, and he had his lunch money taken away from him. Maybe it was his new braces. But he didn't feel so bothered, honestly.

Myungjun was twenty two, and he was just sick and tired of hearing stories from his mother about how Sanha was having a hard time with the other kids.

"Myungjun?"

MJ gripped the steering wheel tight as they drove home. "Yeah?"

"Are you sick?" Sanha was looking out the window.

"No, why?"

"You just look really sick, you and Jinwoo,"

Myungjun's grip on the wheel lightened. "We don't have any money for food,"

Sanha felt pain for his brother, so he made noodles and cookies for Myungjun's dorm. Myungjun pulled his lips upward into a quivering smile.

 

 

On Sanha's seventeen birthday, his mother had made a huge cake for him, and his brothers friends came over to sing happy birthday to him.

"Sorry it's small," Myungjun handed Sanha a small funny wrapped gift as the two sat on the back porch together in the dark. These days he was looking much better, for he was almost out of college and already working at this really fancy office. "It's from both Jinwoo and I,"

Sanha slowly took the present and ripped the wrapping. The inside revealed a hat of Sanha's favorite sports team. Sanha collected hats.

"I love it, thanks." Sanha said looking down at it.

Myungjun looked at his hands and cleared his throat. "I know this is supposed to be your day, but I have some news."

"News?"

"Jinwoo asked me to marry him,"

Sanha's heart started beating at those words, his eyes unknowingly getting wider.

"I said yes."

Myungjun flashed his brother his left hand to show off his ring. He smiled. Then Sanha's heart grew.

"Oh my god!" Sanha hugged Myungjun. "I didn't even know you guys were... together."

Myungjun shrugged a bit with a smirk. "I was surprised you didn't know. I brought him with me for the New Year."

"Have you told mom?" Sanha asked excitedly.

"You're the first I've told."

 

 

On the day of the wedding, Sanha was eighteen. Myungjun was twenty four; a little young in his mothers opinion to be getting married, but she loved Jinwoo.

Sanha stood off to the side next to Minhyuk and watched his brother say his vows. Then, MJ and Jinwoo kissed, which was weird because Sanha thought that his brother didn't kiss his friends.

Myungjun thought about how he wanted Sanha to be innocent and happy. He thought about him being all grown up now, bringing a small tear down his cheek.

There was clapping and cheering, and before the two happy couple rushed down the isle, Myungjun gripped Sanha's shoulders and pressed their foreheads together, thinking about what he had asked him when they were younger.

"I would love to stay with you forever, but I gotta get going,"


End file.
